Section 7 - Part 9: A Repeat Offender
Order of Service:
Current Sermon Position:
The Text:
Introduction:
Gerar marked the southern border of Canaan, as it was near Gaza (10:19). It later became part of the land allotment assigned to the tribe of Simeon. At the time when Isaac lived there (see v. 6), the city was under the rule of the Philistine king, Abimelech (see v. 1).
Shur A defensive wall in the eastern Nile delta.
20:1. Kadesh and Shur. Again a story begins with the itinerary of Abraham’s travels, this time taking him south on a line between Kadesh (an oasis forty-six miles south of Beersheba in the northeastern Sinai) and Shur. The latter site probably refers to the “wall” (shur) of Egyptian fortresses in the eastern Delta region. The Egyptian story of Sinuhe (twentieth century B.C.) mentions this “Wall of the Ruler” as a barrier to the incursions of Asiatics into Egypt.
20:1. Gerar. Although it is not within the range of the Kadesh-Shur line, Gerar may not have been too far of a journey for pastoral nomads such as Abraham’s household. Its exact location, beyond the general area of the western Negev, is uncertain (
Who was Abimelech?
How old are Sarah and Abraham? (This is ~25 years later than the first time this happened)
Who was the sin against?
Interestingly, God identifies Abimelech’s near-adultery as a “sin against me” (v. 6). It is not a sin against people as much as it is a sin against God. For he is the one who created the marriage relationship, and his guideline was one man for one woman, one woman for one man.
What did Abraham do to Abimelech and Sarah:
The Impact:
12 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.””
sn He will pray for you that you may live. Abraham was known as a man of God whose prayer would be effectual. Ironically and sadly, he was also known as a liar.
NOTE:
7 tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.
Abimelech’s Experience with God:
The Quickness of Abimelech’s response:
The Great Sin:
The motivation behind Abraham’s deceit:
Abimelech’s Response:
Consequences for Abimelech:
What consequences were given Abimelech until he released Sarah?
What did Abimelech do to honor Abraham?
What did Abimelech call Abraham?
What did Abraham have to do to assist Abimelech?
Would God have protected Abraham any less than He had if Abraham told the truth?
How did God handle this situation differently than the first time it happened?
20:16. 1000 shekels. A thousand shekels of silver is a sizable sum. In Ugaritic literature it is the amount of the bride price paid among the gods. In weight it would equal about twenty-five pounds of silver. In value it would be more than a worker could expect to make in a lifetime. The king’s generosity should be understood as his guarantee that Sarah had been untouched, but also as appeasing the deity who had virtually cut off all fertility in his family.
20:17. plague on Abimelech’s house. The plague of barrenness or sexual dysfunction is placed on Abimelech’s house until he returns Sarah to Abraham. Abraham’s intercession causes God to open their wombs. The irony is that Abimelech is denied children as long as Abraham is denied his wife (for information on barrenness in the ancient Near East see comment on 11:30).
35 sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).
36 tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).
